MKTG 380 Home Page

Menu

This page includes materials to help guide you through the development of your Internet marketing project. It includes:

• Team Structure
• Project Proposal
• Written Requirements for your Marketing Plan
• Questions for Internet Marketing Project
• Developing Web Pages
• Grading
• Concluding Thoughts

Team Structure

The class will be divided into teams of approximately 5 members. The process includes self-selection and assignment. In the instance of self-selection, members of the class are allowed to elect who they wish to work with on this project. If members of the class have no preference, they will be assigned to a team. In the case of assignment, every effort is made to construct a team that is a mix of majors. The rationale for this is simple: we believe that students benefit in this project from a mixture of different perspectives on the assignment that comes from diverse backgrounds and orientations.

You will find a list of hints for effective teams in your syllabus. Effective teams don't just happen; it takes a conscious effort on the part of every team member. Read these tips and use them. They work!

Project Proposal

The first task of each team is to decide upon a good or a service to market on the Internet. You may choose an already existing product or service or you may create a new one. If you choose an already existing good or service, the one requirement I have is that it not have an Internet presence.

Your team is to present a brief description of its good or service proposal by Friday, September 27, 1996 in the following format:

• A typed, brief description of the good or service (no more than a half-page or 150 words)
• A list of team members (names, e-mail addresses and JMU ID's).

You must submit your proposal to me via e-mail. You can reach me at wrightnd@jmu.edu. I will review each proposal. Questions on any project proposal will be discussed with the relevant team via the Internet.

Written Requirements for your Marketing Plan

Each team will hand in two (two) copies of their written plan: one electronic version and one hard copy version. The requirements for formatting the written version of your plan are as follows:

• The total length of the project is twenty-five (25) pages, including text, charts, graphics, end notes, etc.
• The body of your plan cannot exceed fifteen (15) typed pages, double spaced.
• The font size must be large enough to be read easily (use a 10 point or larger font)
• Each page must be numbered
• There must be at least a 1" margin on all sides of each page
• Source documents (including Web sites) are to be referenced at the end of the outline as end notes. This does not count as part of the 15-page limit, but it does count towards the 25 page total.
• Support documentation such as graphs, charts, printouts of your web site, etc., are to be put in an appendix at the end of your plan (the appendix does not count as part of the 15 page limit but is subject to the 25 page limit)
• A cover sheet is to be included with the name of your company, name of your product, the course name, and the names, e-mail addresses, and JMU ID's of each team member.

All written plans are due at the beginning of class on Friday, November 22, 1996. Any plan submitted after this time will be penalized 10% points for each day or portion of the day late, including weekends. There is no penalty for turning the plan in early. Also, any plan that exceeds the 15-page body limit or 25 page total limit will be penalized 10% for each page or portion of a page over the limit. If the type of your plan is too small or too light to be read easily, the plan will be returned to be redone and the team grade will be penalized 10% for each day or portion of a day until the retyped copy is submitted.

Questions for Internet Marketing Project

What follows are questions to be used as a guide in developing your Internet marketing plan. Remember, these questions are only a guide to direct your thinking. Embellish upon the information you include in your project as you see appropriate to present a convincing and effective plan.

1. Your Company
   • What is the name of your company?
   • What is the mission statement of your company?
2. Your Product
   • What are the physical characteristics of your good or service?
   • What is the brand name for your product and what is its trademark?
   • How is your product packaged?
   • What are the benefits of your good or service?
   • What distinct competitive advantage does your product have?
3. Your Customers
   • Who is (are) your target market(s) for your product? Describe them in terms of demographics, psychographics, geography, or other factors that are pertinent to your product and its benefits.
   • Why are these consumers considered to be the best prospects for your product?
   • What are their buying habits?
   • What do you know about their media preferences? Price/value attitudes? Lifestyles?
   • Is (are) your target market segment(s) growing, stable, declining?
4. Your Industry and Competition
   • What industry are you in?
   • Describe your competition (direct and indirect)
   • Who are your major competitors (defined in terms of sales volume, market share, number of outlets, etc.)
   • What advantage(s) do your competitors have over you?
   • What advantage(s) do you have over your competitors?
5. Your SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)
   • Internal Strengths?
   • Internal Weaknesses?
   • External Opportunities?
   • External Threats?
6. Your Marketing Strategies
   • How will you DISTRIBUTE your product? What channels will you use and why? How will the consumer return the product if not satisfied? What will be the terms of any warranty or guarantee associated with your product, and why? How important is distribution to your overall marketing plan, and why? How can the Internet be used for distribution?
   • How will you PRICE your product? What is the price to the customer for your product? How does your price compare with your competition? What discounts, allowances, etc., will you use? How important is price in your overall marketing plan, and why? How will customers pay for your products if they purchase them on the Internet?
   • What is your marketing PROMOTIONS strategy? How will you use advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, publicity? What role will the Internet play in your promotions strategy?
7. Internet Considerations
   • What elements lead to successfully marketing a product on the Internet?
   • What characteristics are unique to this medium?
   • What products are amenable to Internet marketing?
   • How do you pay for products purchased on the Internet?
   • What role do the Usenet News Groups, the World Wide Web, e-mail, and listservs play in marketing your product?
   • Which of the four P’s is (are) most appropriately exploited on the Internet?
   • What is the role of customer service?
   • How should you promote your web site?
   • What are the demographics of Internet users?
   • What are the pitfalls of marketing on the Internet?
   • What activities should you not do on the Internet?
   • What does the future hold for conducting business on the Internet?
   • What role does the Internet play in the overall marketing plan for the product?
   • What constitutes successful Internet marketing?
   • How do you measure successful Internet marketing?

Developing Web Pages

Each group is to develop a simple Web page for their chosen product or service. In addition, each group member is also to develop her or his own personal home page.

Group Web Page
The Web page developed by the group for your chosen product or service MUST contain ALL of the following elements:

• Links to at least two (2) other internal Web pages that contain additional information about your product or service. The MKTG 380 Home Page and the Marketing on the Internet Resources Page are examples of internal Web pages.
• Links to at least two (2) other external Web pages that are similar or are related to your product. These are links to pages developed by other companies. For example, the Walt Disney and MTV home pages are examples of external Web pages.
• At least two graphics.
• Links to the personal home pages of ALL team members. This is in addition to the two external links mentioned above.
• A numbered or unnumbered list (this list is an example of an unnumbered list).
• A feedback option (either links to your e-mail addresses, your company's e-mail address or, if you are daring, feedback via forms. For more information on using forms at JMU, go to the Falcon forms page).

You will be required to turn in your Web pages either on diskette or by giving me the URL (uniform resource locator), which will tell my browser where to look for your page. In addition, you will also turn in a hard copy of your HTML code. Here is an example of the HTML code for this page. The diskette or URL and the hard copy of your HTML code will be due on the same day the Internet marketing plan is due, Friday, November 22, 1996 at the beginning of class.

Personal Web Page
In addition to the group Web page, each team member must also develop her or his own personal Web page. Each personal Web page must contain ALL of the following elements:

1. A link to at least one internal page.
2. Links to at least 2 other external pages.
3. A graphic.
4. A numbered or unnumbered list (this is an example of a numbered list).
5. A link to your e-mail address.

You will be required to turn in your personal Web page either on diskette or by giving me the URL. In addition, you will also turn in a hard copy of your HTML code. The diskette or URL and the hard copy of your HTML code will be due on the same day the Internet marketing plan is due, Friday, November 22, 1996 at the beginning of class.

Grading

Grading of both the written plan and the group Web page will be on a team basis. Your written plan will be graded based on comprehensiveness, cohesion, creativity, and organization.

Your Team Web pages will graded on these criteria: inclusion of the elements mentioned above, appropriateness of the Web page for marketing your product or service, and an examination of your code (is it sloppy, or well-ordered?).

Peer evaluations will also be used for grading individual performance on this project. For more information, see the peer evaluation form in your syllabus.

In addition to the group project, you will also be graded individually based on your personal home pages. I will use these criteria: inclusion of the elements mentioned above, aesthetics, and an examination of your code (is it sloppy, or well-ordered?).

Concluding Thoughts

Developed and maintained by Dr. Newell Wright, Assistant Professor of Marketing in the College of Business at James Madison University. Contact Dr. Wright at wrightnd@jmu.edu. Last updated on August 15, 1996.